“Not that one,” Helen said, her voice much stronger.
It felt no different to the touch.
“No. That one must remain if you do not wish to lose your friends.”
“Why?” It didn’t belong here. Kaylin’s sense of that was visceral and immediate.
Helen’s reply was in a resonant language Kaylin did not understand. Hope hummed, and the hatchling joined in; she felt the sound travel through her body as if she were a bell that had just been struck by an unseen force.
Hope squawked. The hatchling growled. As if they were two halves of one body, they rose from her shoulders, lifting both of their wings simultaneously.
Kaylin looked at her hands; they were empty. But she could feel the stem of something that hadn’t budded or blossomed, waiting.
She squinted as light and reality returned to her. She stood in the heart of her home, and Helen’s Avatar stood beside her. Helen wore her usual clothing, but her eyes were the color-flecked obsidian they became when she made no conscious effort to change their appearance.
“I will send you upstairs,” she said. A door appeared directly in front of Kaylin. “It should not cause discomfort.”
“The intruders?”
“I have two in isolation,” Helen replied. Her smile was granite and ice. “Two escaped. The rest are dead. Lord Nightshadeis speaking—somewhat casually—with An’Tellarus. Teela has joined them. Sedarias is with Terrano and Mandoran; Terrano believes he can follow those who escaped.”
And Sedarias thought this was a good idea?
“No; she thinks it’s a terrible idea.”
Kaylin reached for the knob. “What did we do here?” she asked, voice soft.
“The Teller’s crown remains in Lord Nightshade’s room.” It wasn’t really an answer. She turned to Hope, who settled slowly back on Kaylin’s shoulder. “You are responsible for Kaylin’s safety.”
Kaylin exhaled. The hatchling came to rest on her left shoulder, folding its wings and glaring at Hope. “Do you think the hatchling is going to be visible to everyone? He looks... less solid, now.” To Kaylin’s eye, it looked like smoke and shadow, although its eyes were clear. Rings of swirling color served as irises, but the pupils they surrounded remained white.
“Yes.”
“Whatisit?”
“You will have to ask Hope, and Hope will have to answer. My attempt to answer is fundamentally broken; I cannot translate it into the words I am speaking now. Please join your friends before Teela destroys half the manse in an attempt to find you.”
The door didn’t lead to Teela.
It led to the room in which Yvonne now sat, shoulders curved inward, eyes a wary blue. She lifted her head the moment Kaylin stepped through the doorframe, her eyes shedding blue until very little of it remained. Green-eyed, she rose. Her eyes, while an unusual public color for Barrani, were the normal shade of happy green. Her hair was Barrani black, her skin flawless. But her expression was far more open.
“Is the green still here?” Kaylin asked.
“You’re still wearing the dress.”
“And I should have known better. I really should.” She listened. She could no longer hear the sounds of combat. “I think it’s safe to go downstairs, if you’re willing to face An’Tellarus. She... didn’t exactly cower from fighting.”
Yvonne grimaced. “She never cowers from a fight. She believes anyone who attacks her is committed to death. Usually their own. But she’s not going to be happy about it. This isn’t something set up by An’Teela and her friends, is it?”
“Gods, no. If it pushes An’Tellarus into reluctant support of An’Mellarionne, that’ll be the silver lining of a really bloody awful storm cloud.” She hesitated. “Nightshade is outcaste.”
“So Helen’s mentioned. But she isn’t likely to care. If he doesn’t attack her, she’ll consider him largely irrelevant.”
Kaylin doubted that.
She heard raised voices and winced. “Helen, could you tell Annarion to calm down in front of our guests?”
“I believe the attempt has already been made. But as you are host, you should join An’Tellarus before she feels insulted. Cediela can find fault with almost anything, but in this case, she would not have to search very hard.”